Delaware releases new contact tracing app to help control virus’s spread The Review – University of Delaware Review

Eric Munson/THE REVIEWOn Sept. 15, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) released a new coronavirus contact tracing app called COVID Alert DE.

BY ERIC MUNSONAssociate News Editor

On Sept. 15, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) released a new coronavirus contact tracing app called COVID Alert DE.

In an email statement to The Review, Jennifer Brestel, the chair of community relations for DPH, said that COVID Alert DE is a free anonymous exposure notification mobile app.

The app is available to everyone 18 and older with an apple [sic] or android [sic] phone, who lives, works or goes to college in Delaware, Brestel said in the statement.

According to a press release from the Office of the Governor, the app does not collect personal information or GPS location data to track its users. However, COVID Alert DE uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology, which allows phones with the app to recognize when it is near other phones also running the application.

Users of COVID Alert DE may receive an exposure notification if they were in close proximity of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, and also has the app downloaded on their phone, the press release reads. Close proximity is defined as within six feet for 15 minutes or more.

The app was created by NearForm, an Irish software developer headquartered in the small seaside town of Tramore, located in County Waterford, Ireland.

In an email statement to The Review, Colm Harte, the technical director of NearForm, said the company specializes in globally accelerated solution delivery for the likes of Cond Nast, IBM and EY [Ernst & Young].

Harte said that NearForm was approached by the Irish government to create a contact tracing app for the Health Service Executive, Irelands public health authority. The prototype of the app was completed within 10 days of the request.

According to Harte, the Irish version of the app was launched on July 7 and 25% of the population downloaded it within the first 36 hours. The download rate continues to climb.

The success of the app led NearForm to create similar apps for Northern Ireland, Scotland, the Island of Jersey and Gibraltar. 22% of Scottish people downloaded the app within the first week, Harte said.

In the US we have engaged with a number of states, including Delaware and Pennsylvania, who have seen the success of the app in Ireland and parts of the UK, Harte said in the statement.

Harte said COVID Alert DE is interoperable between Delaware and Pennsylvania, meaning the app still works when crossing state borders. Harte also said that 70,000 Pennsylvanians have already downloaded it. The Irish version is also interoperable with Northern Ireland, as people frequently travel between the two, Harte went on to say.

Making these apps interoperable with as many other states as possible will provide people with an additional layer of protection as they travel to work and to visit family, Harte said in the statement. We are also working on a wider European interoperability project.

Harte said that what makes the app unique is its privacy technology in that all the code is open-source and eligible for peer review. The source code is currently catalogued by the Linux Foundation Public Health, under the code name COVID Green. Harte said that this allows others to see how the code works and to demonstrate its privacy first approach.

According to Harte, when two phones with the app are in a close proximity for 15 minutes or more they exchange a digital handshake or anonymous keys.

If the user of one of those phones later tests positive for COVID-19 the public health authority will ask them if they have the app, and if they are willing to upload a random six-digit code to anonymously notify those apps they have exchanged anonymous keys with, Harte said in the statement. The important thing to note is that it is all completely private and voluntary. The app doesnt know who you are, and doesnt use GPS or track your location.

According to Harte, the app stores this data for 14 days, after which it is automatically deleted. He said this can help to notify those that are unable to remember being in contact with someone, especially someone they do not know.

Harte also said that the app is fully customizable end-to-end so that different states and countries are able to tailor language, information, look and feel to be consistent with the needs of their citizens. The app can also be easily integrated into manual contact tracing systems thanks to its one-time verification code.

The app puts the power in peoples hands to join the fight against the spread of COVID-19, and to protect themselves and their loved ones, Harte said in the statement. Once the app is deployed it starts working to break transmission chains immediately. The more people who download the app the better.

Harte cited a recent report from the University of Oxford showing that a 15% uptake of contact tracing apps can help reduce Covid-19 infections.

Dr. Karyl Rattay, the director of the DPH, said that the app complements [the DPHs] contact tracing efforts.

This is a crisis, Rattay said. None of us have ever seen over 200,000 individuals in our country die from [an] infection.

According to Rattay, Delaware has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases. As of the publication of this article there are almost 20,000 cases.

Over the last couple of weeks we have seen more significant increases that we had previously, Rattay said. A number of those cases are related to University of Delaware students, but were also seeing increased cases in other areas of Delaware as well.

According to the State of Delawares Coronavirus (COVID-19) Data Dashboard, of the 19,625 total named contacts, 11,478 have been reached by contact tracers at a rate of 58%. Of the 11,478 contacted, 2,697 are cases with known exposure to another case, a rate of 26%. This works out to an average of 3.0 contacts per case. This data goes all the way back to June 27.

Rattay said that some major issues with contact tracing are remembering names, the length of contact, exact timeframes and whether the people are strangers or not. This makes contact tracers jobs harder as they are unable to use the typical contact tracing methods.

Rattay reiterated Hartes statement about giving citizens responsibility to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

So this [app] really puts the power in the hands of the citizens to know if they have possibly been exposed from an infected individual and then take the necessary steps to protect themselves from the spread of infection, Rattay said.

According to Rattay, the DPHs contact tracing program began in May and became permanent in late June. She said that when somebody tests positive, the contact tracers call each and every individual who may have been exposed from them.

Its an incredibly important tool, not just for us to know who they may have spread it to, but also to better understand how its spreading in the community, Rattay said.

Rattay affirmed that the primary focus of the app is information and communication, especially since there is not a vaccine available at the moment.

Rattay said that since the app is completely anonymous, the DPH has no way of knowing who you are, where you are, [or] what your behaviors are, but it gives people knowledge of what they need to do such as quarantining, social distancing and getting tested.

Rattay believes that the app will be helpful in the long-run especially when dealing with future respiratory illnesses and pandemics.

We may very well begin to use this more for other infections to better understand if youve been exposed in the future, Rattay said. I think its an exciting breakthrough for public health to be able to use technology like this.

Rattay said that whether we want to or not everybody has a role to play in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. She implored people to answer the phone when they get a call from a contact tracer.

When all it takes is just answering the phone so that youre informed about whether or not you might be infectious, and how best to address the situation, its really all of our responsibility, Rattay said.

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Delaware releases new contact tracing app to help control virus's spread The Review - University of Delaware Review